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For a calf's growth rate and other traits, the genes it inherits from
its mother are no more important than those from its father, ARS scientists
found. That contrasts with what some beef breeders have long believed--that
the genetic potential for traits like calf size depended more on the cow's
genes than the bull's. That thinking was based on the belief that at conception,
there is extra DNA from the calf's mother in the mitochondria of the egg.
The mitochondrial DNA--separate from the chromosomal DNA that is passed
on by both parents--has been shown to affect milk yield in dairy cattle.
This assumption has led some beef cattle breeders to base their selection
techniques on the cow's bloodline rather than using the standard method
that evaluates genes from both parents. ARS researchers showed that the
standard method is best. They studied maternal lineages and calf traits
of 26 cow families over more than 13 generations in Line 1 purebred Herefords.
They found that both parents' genes contributed equally to economically
important traits like calves' weight at birth, weight gain from birth to
weaning and weight gain from weaning to one year of age.
Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research
Laboratory, Miles City, MT
Michael D. MacNeil, (406) 232-4970
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Last Modified: 02/11/2002
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